The sinkhole, estimated to be about 30 feet (9 meters) deep and between 1,000 and 3,200 square feet (100 and 300 square meters) across, appeared near a subway construction site, according to news reports.

—Jane J. Lee

Photograph from AFP/Getty Images

A Sinkhole’s Destruction

Despite the loss of a group of buildings (pictured), no injuries were reported. Construction workers noticed the land starting to sink and were able to warn people in time to evacuate.

The first building collapsed into the hole around 4 p.m. (local time), and three adjacent buildings went later that evening, according to reports from The Telegraph.

As the water circulates through cracks and pores in the rock, the liquid gradually eats away at the formation until an empty pocket forms. It gets larger and larger until the overlying soil and rocks collapse, forming a sinkhole.

Photograph from AFP/Getty Images

Aftermath

The sinkhole that formed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou (pictured) is, unfortunately, not a new occurrence for the country.